The feud ripping through Reform UK has deepened after party staff publicly backed Rupert Lowe in his row with Nigel Farage.
Party fallout over ‘Messiah’ comment
Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, was dramatically kicked out of Reform UK last week — just a day after accusing Farage of acting like “the Messiah.”
Party chair Zia Yusuf and chief whip Lee Anderson claimed two female staff members had accused Lowe of “workplace bullying.”
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Lowe strongly denied the allegations, calling them a “witch hunt” triggered by his criticism of Farage’s leadership.
In a surprising twist, Lowe’s seven-person parliamentary team issued a statement this morning defending him.
“We want to state this unequivocally: Rupert is a good, decent and honest man,” the statement posted on X read.
They insisted they had never witnessed violent or aggressive behaviour from Lowe and had never heard any complaints about him before last Friday.
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The statement added:
“Wider allegations of bullying are entirely untrue. These were only issued after the two individuals involved admitted to separate serious offences and disciplinary action had begun against them.”
“These are vexatious complaints, sadly submitted to cause as much damage as possible.”
They wrapped it up with a clear show of support:
“Rupert is a good MP, a good boss and a good man — he does not deserve what is happening to him.”
Reform UK responded with a strongly worded statement last Friday.
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“Evidence was provided to us of workplace bullying, the targeting of female staff who raised concerns, and evidence of derogatory and discriminatory remarks made about women, including reference to a perceived disability.”
The party said they had appointed an independent King’s Counsel to investigate the claims.
“To date, Mr Lowe has yet to cooperate with this investigation.”
Lowe denies allegations
Lowe hit back, calling the allegations of physical threats “outrageous and entirely untrue.” He also denied ever making derogatory remarks about women or disabilities.
The row erupted after Lowe criticised Farage’s leadership, telling the Daily Mail that Reform UK was still a “protest party led by the Messiah.” He hinted he might leave the party if it didn’t change before the next election.
The fallout shows no signs of settling down anytime soon.
